FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0387.PDF
HELI-EXPO The Helicopter Association International staged its annual Heli-Expo convention in Dallas from 9-11 February, following another disappointing year for most civil rotorcraft manufacturers. Despite warnings of US airspace restrictions and rocketing insurance costs, a 15% rise in exhibitor numbers, buoyant early 2003 sales and brighter forecasts were reasons for optimism. Paul Lewis and Guy Norris report. TILTROTORS AgustaWestland seeks to accelerate BA609 work European partner discusses expanded role in programme after Bell delays certification AgustaWestland is in talks with partner Bell to expand its participa tion in the BA609 programme in an effort to speed up development of the nine-seat civil tiltrotor, as engineering work on the AB139 starts to slow with the medium-size helicopter nearing certification around the middle of the year. Giuseppe Orsi, AgustaWestland managing director, says the com pany is "prepared to have a higher share" in BA609 development and hopes to reach an agreement with Bell in the near future. The US manufacturer has pushed back certi fication to early 2007 to focus atten tion on fixing the troubled Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor pro gramme for the US Marine Corps. "To speed up the BA609 it is maybe necessary to have increased technical support. Even to achieve 2007, there will have to be more involvement with AgustaWestland," says Orsi. Under the Bell/Agusta Aerospace (BAAC) partnership agree ment, AgustaWestland has around a 25% stake in the BA609 with Bell having a comparable stake in the twin-engined AB139. AgustaWestland would like to extend its involvement across the programme, including flight test ing. Under the BAAC agreement, the European manufacturer has responsibility for part of the tiltro- tor's transmission, wiring and flap- erons, fatigue testing of the wing and fly-by-wire engineering. Meanwhile, Bell has completed ground runs and taxi-testing of the first BA609 prototype in readiness for a planned first flight in mid- April. Since early December, the company has logged 32h of rotor turn time with the nacelles transi tioning between 95° and 75°. The tiltrotor has made six taxi tests up to 50kt (90km/h), with the nacelles between 95° and 75°. POLITICS Eurocopter focuses on Mississippi Manufacturer expects to deliver 25 EC 145s to US customers this year Eurocopter is moving ahead with plans to create a final assembly plant for its Ecureuil/AStar light helicopters in Columbus, Missis sippi. The Franco-German company has decided to expand its US opera tions in Mississippi following "polit ical intransigence" in Texas, where it already has a base (Flight Inter national, 28January-3 February). Eurocopter president Jean- Francois Bigay says: "We have found good financial conditions to create something in Mississippi and we have met people very will ing to help us." He says Eurocopter will keep its existing site in Grand Prairie intact, but adds that the political climate in Texas has not encouraged expansion in the state. "We have to share our plans [for expansion] with local authorities, and maybe we are not creating strong emotions with those who are responsible [in Texas]," he says. The new site at Columbus is expected to be completed by year end and will be used for final assembly of the AStar. The facility will also make components and be a completion centre, says Bigay. He adds: "We want to increase our business in the USA." The mar ket was worth $253 million to American Eurocopter in 2002, a 13% rise over the previous year. The company logged 69 orders and delivered 71 machines in the year. Eurocopter's twins formed only 14% of its US deliveries last year, but the company expects new busi ness in 2003 for the EC145 light twin, including 25 to US customers in this year, with the first set for delivery in September. PROPULSION Dolphin plan could seed LTS101 family Honeywell is confident it can meet the US Coast Guard's Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin upgrade requirement with a new version of the LTS101 turboshaft, having received the USCG's out line power specifications. Competition is expected from the Turbomeca Arriel 2C1. A decision is due in mid-2005, "so we have plenty of time to certify the development growth engine", says Honeywell pro gramme manager Bob Miller. The growth engine -the LTS101-950- will have up to 23% more take-off power and provides the basis for a possible series of modular upgrades to the -750 and -850 variants. The improved axi-centrifugal com pressor at the heart of the -950 will also be scaleable, says Miller, who suggests a smaller variant could be added. The result will be a new family covering 370- 745kW (500-1,000shp), he adds. Turbomeca has started flight testing a re-engined HH-65 under a USCG-funded demon stration programme. The engine is up to 28% more powerful than the LXS101 variant in the HH-65 and is performing well in tests, says the French company. Turbomeca is also increasing the stakes by creating a US pro duction line for its Arriel family of engines in Grand Prairie, Texas. The first engines will be pro duced in May, and production will eventually be divided equally between the US and French lines, with each producing around 150 powerplants a year. Turbomeca says the new line is to diversify its production base and strengthen its US activities, but industry observers also see it as an attempt to answer criti cism in the US Congress of a USCG-funded Arriel flight test. 24 18-24 FEBRUARY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
